Comparison Between Two Methods Of Dentalage Estimation Among Egyptian Children

The Application of the Cameriere's Methodologies for Dental Age Estimation in a Select KwaZulu-Natal Population of South Africa

Background: The estimation of an individual’s age is a fundamental component of forensic odontology. Literary reports found that the efficiency of Cameriere methodology for age estimation varied among many population groups. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the applicability of the Cameriere methods to a select South African population of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted on 840 digital panoramic radiographs that met the inclusion criteria. Dental maturity was determined through the morphometric analysis of the seven left permanent mandibular and maxillary teeth in accordance with Cameriere et al. (2006). Moreover, the dental age was also calculated using the South African Black Bayesian formulae of the Cameriere method by Angelakopoulos et al. (2019). The paired sample t-test or Wilcoxon’s signed rank test assessed the significant difference between the chronological age and estimated dental age for the various formulae. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The Cameriere et al. (2006) Italian formula and the South African Black Bayesian formulae of the Cameriere method by Angelakopoulos et al. (2019) underestimated and overestimated age in the South African Black and Indian population groups of the KZN province, respectively. Therefore, the authors generated a novel population-specific regression formulae (including and excluding third molars) using “step-wise regression analysis” and a “best-fit model” for the South African Black and Indian population groups of KZN. Conclusion: This study recommends that the population-specific formulae generated in this study be utilized in the KZN population to improve the accuracy of dental age estimation within this region.

Evaluating the accuracy of two different age estimation methods in growing children in Navi Mumbai using Orthopantomograph: A radiographic study

BACKGROUND

Age estimation through dental maturity indicators is relatively more accurate, reliable, and valid for living as well as dead individuals. It acts as an important tool in diagnosis and treatment planning in clinical as well as in forensic dentistry. There are various methods to estimate the dental age. Out of which, Demirjian's method has been widely used in various populations. However, there is a dearth of literature on Indian population comparing Demirjian's method to Cameriere's method.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Demirjian's and Cameriere's age estimation methods to chronological age in growing children using orthopantomograph (OPG).

SETTING AND DESIGN

The sample consisted of digital OPGs of 280 children in Navi Mumbai aged 5-16 years.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Digital OPGs were used to assess the dental maturity of seven mandibular left teeth using Demirjian and Cameriere's method and were compared to the chronological age.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Data were analyzed using Student's t tests.

RESULT

Irrespective of gender, dental age estimated by Cameriere's method (mean 10.23 ± 2.79 years), underestimated the chronological age (mean 11.74 ± 2.86 years) for overall population which showed statistically significant difference. Demirjian's method overestimated (mean 12.24 ± 3.06 years) the chronological age for the overall population but was statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSION

Demirjian's method is more closely in correlation with the chronological age of growing children as compared to the Cameriere method when applied to children of age 5-16 years in Navi Mumbai.

Age determination in children by orthopantomograph and lateral cephalogram: A comparative digital study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The assessment of age is useful in forensic medicine and forensic odontology and in treatment planning in various branch of dentistry. The aim of study is comparative evaluation and assessment of applicability of Demirjian's method, Willem's method of dental age (DA) estimation, and Maria de Paula Caldas's method of skeletal age estimation for children aged 9-16 years.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 140 individuals (70 females and 70 males) between the age group of 9-16 years were enrolled. These individuals were grouped by a difference of 1 year into 7 groups (each group comprising of 20 individuals: 10 males and 10 females). Dental age estimation was performed from orthopantomograph images of mandibular teeth of left quadrant by both Demirjian's and Willem's methods. Skeletal age estimation was done from Lateral Cephalogram by Caldas Digital Method. The differences between the chronological age and the estimated dental and skeletal ages were statistically tested using paired t-test.

RESULTS

Demirjian's DA estimation overestimated males (0.4040 years) and females (0.1316 years). Willem's DA estimation method underestimated males (0.1386 years) and females (0.4210 years) and Caldas skeletal age estimation overestimated males (0.2982 years) and females (0.4259 years).

CONCLUSION

The study concluded Willem's DA estimation method was the most accurate for male and Demirjian's method for female for Gujarati Population. Caldas's new computer-assisted method for skeletal age estimation used in the present study is easy to perform and less time-consuming and objective method and can be applied for Gujarati population.

The Demirjian versus the Willems method for dental age estimation in different populations: A meta-analysis of published studies

BACKGROUND

The accuracy of radiographic methods for dental age estimation is important for biological growth research and forensic applications. Accuracy of the two most commonly used systems (Demirjian and Willems) has been evaluated with conflicting results. This study investigates the accuracies of these methods for dental age estimation in different populations.

METHODS

A search of PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, Database of Open Access Journals and Google Scholar was undertaken. Eligible studies published before December 28, 2016 were reviewed and analyzed. Meta-analysis was performed on 28 published articles using the Demirjian and/or Willems methods to estimate chronological age in 14,109 children (6,581 males, 7,528 females) age 3-18 years in studies using Demirjian's method and 10,832 children (5,176 males, 5,656 females) age 4-18 years in studies using Willems' method. The weighted mean difference at 95% confidence interval was used to assess accuracies of the two methods in predicting the chronological age.

RESULTS

The Demirjian method significantly overestimated chronological age (p<0.05) in males age 3-15 and females age 4-16 when studies were pooled by age cohorts and sex. The majority of studies using Willems' method did not report significant overestimation of ages in either sex. Overall, Demirjian's method significantly overestimated chronological age compared to the Willems method (p<0.05). The weighted mean difference for the Demirjian method was 0.62 for males and 0.72 for females, while that of the Willems method was 0.26 for males and 0.29 for females.

CONCLUSION

The Willems method provides more accurate estimation of chronological age in different populations, while Demirjian's method has a broad application in terms of determining maturity scores. However, accuracy of Demirjian age estimations is confounded by population variation when converting maturity scores to dental ages. For highest accuracy of age estimation, population-specific standards, rather than a universal standard or methods developed on other populations, need to be employed.